Posted to
Food on Aug 15, 2012 - 00:57
Being a vegetarian, who doesn't eat fish, sushi isn't something I usually go for. I usually settle with a simple vegetable or avocado roll, so I was really excited to see more sushi choices for me while staying in Vancouver, BC. My parents are absolute sushi fanatics and they had to admit that the city had some of the best sushi they've ever had. I guess it has to be so considering the city is
right on Pacific, perfect for fresh fish! The first roll I ordered was their special Summer roll with consisted of avocado, strawberry, cream cheese, and a creamy sauce to pull it all together. I was very interested to see strawberries in a sushi roll, but I have to admit, the flavour combination was really delicious and perfect for the hot day. The second roll was the Panda Roll which included avocado, other green veggies like cucumber, and sesame. Not as exotic as the summer roll, but very good none the less.
Have you ever had sushi with fruit? I also saw a mango roll on the menu! Where do you think the best city for sushi is located?
-Photo is my own.
Posted to
Entertainment on Aug 14, 2012 - 23:37
I recently went to a local indie theater to watch the new drama fantasy Beasts of the Southern Wild . The unique story line intrigued me and it was indeed worth a watch. Before I go into a review, I want to share the plot summary.
As taken from IMDB,
Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community at the edge of the world.
Wink's tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he's no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack, temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink's health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.
First and foremost, the main character, Hushpuppy, is played by one of the more incredible child actors I've seen in a while. I can't say enough of how well acted and real the movie felt because of her superb character performance. If you like original story lines, you'd probably enjoy this fantasy creation. And even though it had fantasia elements, the film itself felt very real and true to life. I never really pay attention to music in films, but all my friends were saying how great the music incorporated was in the film. Also, being an independent film, it was beautifully shot with stunning visuals and cinematography. The script didn't fail me as well as I found it to be all quite thought provoking and funny at parts for sure. If you're a fan of this type of film, I would surely recommend to go see it at your local indie film theaters! It's one of those movies you get lost in, with a warm fuzzy feeling as you're drifted away in a different world...
IMDB link(7.7/10 rating): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2125435/
Rotten Tomatoes (86% rating):
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beasts_of_the_southern_wild/
-Image poster taken from the source link posted below.
Posted to
Food on Jul 26, 2012 - 20:25
I visited a french crepe breakfast restaurant called, La Bretagne Creperie , and had one of the best crepes I've had in a while. Their menu of savory and dessert crepes was astonishingly long and pretty much had every choice in the book of delicious crepe combinations. The place even looked were authentic, cozy, and welcoming. I prefer my crepes sweet to kick off the day with a quality sugar
kick, so I ordered the La Tatin. Let me say that the portions of the crepes are HUGE! My crepe included warm apples, vanilla ice cream, and caramel sauce, which was poured from spoon that lit my crepe on fire! It was actually a really neat affect. Oh and by the looks of it, their quite note worthy of their onion soup! 10/10 I would go again if I had the chance.
If you had to choose, what are the best crepes you've ever had?
-Photos are mine.
Posted to
Food on Jul 26, 2012 - 18:59
Falafels are a new discovery of mine after a friend of mine introduced me to this Middle Eastern specialty. Ever since I tried them, I was on the lookout for some more falafel dishes. While recently walking around the city of Vancouver, the number of falafel eateries was very surprising. After a day of the beach, we stopped at what was called The Falafel King where the server put the food
together in a subway style stand where all the veggies and meats are held on the counter. It looked like the meat was made gyro style on those meat spinning things. (I forgot what they’re called... anyone care to help?). Being a vegetarian, I ordered the regular falafel plate that consisted of falafels on hummus, two salads, and of course pita bread. Another popular way at these places seemed to be the falafel wrap where they wrap the falafels in pita. Oh and for sure those who don’t know, falafels are made from deep fried chickpeas. If you haven’t tried these, I highly recommend so! I find them to be extremely delicious and will be trying to make my own at home very soon.
Second photo is of my little birdie buddy who hung out with me while I was eating... I couldn’t resist sharing my pita bread!
How do you feel about falafels and has anyone tried making them homemade?
-Photos are both my own.
Posted to
Fashion on Jul 24, 2012 - 19:49
I was oh so excited to see a Zara while staying in Vancouver, BC since I don't have one located near me. They were having a pretty huge sale, which made me want to finally check it out even more. I've been looking for an affordable jean or leather jacket for the upcoming fall season for a while now, and seeing one at Zara for only $29.99 Canadian dollars made me jump with joy! It's mainly a dark
wash with a lighter tie-dye looking wash on the inner sleeves and buttons. I'm quite pleased with my purchase and shall be wearing it quite often when it gets a little more chilly outside.
Been to Zara lately? I know it's way early, but anyone else excited for fall clothing? I'm sick of the heat :P
-All photos are my own.
Posted to
Food on Jul 24, 2012 - 01:50
While recently spending a week in Vancouver, BC, I got the chance to check out the local China Town, which is one of the biggest in North America. Having the intense sweet tooth that I do, I was very pleased with tasting new and interesting Chinese desserts! I am not exactly sure what is in pictured box because my family all picked out different things, but I'm sure most of you are very familiar.
I got a custard danish and it was absolutely delightful. If I had a Chinese bakery near me, I would be definitely eating more of these!
What are your favourite Chinese desserts!? And are there any I absolutely have to try or could possibly make my own?
-All photos were taken by me.
Posted to
Entertainment on Jul 11, 2012 - 19:02
Before I say anything about this particular film, I have to say that I'm a huge fan of Lars von Trier and I think a lot of his other movies are fantastic. Melancholia, released 2011, just didn't do it for me. It stars Kristen Dunst, who was actually very good in this movie. But none the less, watching this movie was pretty much like watching grass die-boring, long, and quite pointless. It seems
as if this is one of those movies where you either love or hate it. Reasons I didn't enjoy it included the fact it was really long(over 2 hours) for the slow moving pace of the film. The characters were very surface level with no character development throughout out the plot. Even the cinematography bothered me as it seemed quite choppy along with shakiness that just didn't do the scenes justice. Even though I was tortured by boredom, I do have to say there are a couple of note worthy scenes, especially the very beginning and the very end which had top notch effects. The film didn't work for me even though I had very high expectations for it as I thought this would be the perfect clash of Hollywood and indie cinema.
The only theme I can take away from this film is the characters coming to terms with their own mortality. It shows two sides of the human condition in an apocalyptic situation, you can either accept your own ending fate and live with it, or you can live in state of despair as you struggle to overcome the inevitable.
The Story line: ( Taken from IMDB)
On the night of her wedding, Justine is struggling to be happy even though it should be the happiest day of her life. It was an extravagant wedding paid for by her sister and brother-in-law who are trying to keep the bride and all the guests in-line. Meanwhile, Melancholia, a blue planet, is hurtling towards the Earth. Claire, Justine's sister, is struggling to maintain composure with fear of the impending disaster.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527186/
Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/melancholia-2008/
-Photo poster taken from source link below.
Posted to
Food on Jul 10, 2012 - 19:15
Being from eastern Europe, I am very familiar with many different cultural cuisines. My grandmother is such a great cook and always makes the best traditional Lithuanian foods. What we call "Spurgos" are basically just a type of Lithuanian doughnuts. They're deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. They're made with basic ingredients and nothing too special, but trust me, they are BEYOND
delicious! I personally hate regular american doughnuts but these are really tasty and when made homemade, super moist and not too sweet. Quite the delicious snack to say the least!
I'm quite thankful for my grandma for teaching me how to make these little desserts. I found a recipe online for anyone interested and will link it below.
http://kofl144.weebly.com/3/post/2011/03/spurgos-lithuanian-doughnuts.html
-Photo was taken by me using a Nikon D90.
Posted to
Entertainment on Jul 7, 2012 - 03:23
I Saw The Devil, original title Akmareul boatda, is a 2010 Korean masterpiece crime thriller. If you've never watched any Korean films, I highly recommend you check some out. Some of my all time favourite movies are Korean as they all collectively have a certain style about them. I Saw The Devil is definitely not for all viewers, as it is very violent and gory. Not a lot of movies make me cringe
these days, but this film actually made me turn my head a couple of times. What I love about Korean films is that their plots are all so beautifully well thought out. The film depicts a story of revenge, in a way you wouldn't expect it to unfold. Everything from the acting to the cinematography was spot on. I don't want to spoil any details, but the character development between the victim/aggressor is compelling and really drives the dark film. The only thing I didn't enjoy about this morbidly fantastic and smart movie is the length, it's a little too long and could of been cut down in my opinion. None the else, I really suggest watching it because it's down right a damn excellent movie.
The plot line goes as follows...(Taken from IMDB)
Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik) is a dangerous psychopath who kills for pleasure. He has committed infernal serial murders in diabolic ways that one cannot even imagine and his victims range from young women to even children. The police have chased him for a long time, but were unable to catch him. One day, Joo-yeon, daughter of a retired police chief becomes his prey and is found dead in a horrific state. Her fiance Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), a top secret agent, decides to track down the murderer himself. He promises himself that he will do everything in his power to take bloody vengeance against the killer, even if it means that he must become a monster himself to get this monstrous and inhumane killer.
IMDB (7.8/10 rating): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1588170/
Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/akmareul_boattda/
For those wondering, IJW, stands for I Just Watched, a series of simple movie reviews based on the movies I've recently viewed. The film is also on Netflix Instant for anyone interested!
-Photo poster taken from source link below.
Posted to
Entertainment on Jul 4, 2012 - 02:33
The weirdest film award goes to..Rubber. The 2010 film, directed by Quentin Dupieux, is definitely not got everyone, afterall it is a tale of a killer tire. I had no idea what to expect watching this movie but can't say I'm entirely impressed nor disappointed though. It's an interesting viewing experience along with quite an absurd concept. There's no real plot as it explores a theme of "no
reason", but yet, has loads of thought out detail. I do have to say that the filming style was really well made with interesting angles and great overall cinematography. It's a strange, unique, ridiculous, and absurd film, with a twist. There's no reason to like it..as there is no reason to dislike it. Overall, it's stupid movie full of rubbish, yet genius can be found in its absurdity. I just know I don't regret watching it and would love to hear other people's opinions!
The story line goes something like so... ( Taken from IMDB)
When Robert, a tire, discovers his destructive telepathic powers, he soon sets his sights on a desert town; in particular, a mysterious woman becomes his obsession.
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1612774/
Rotten Tomatoes: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rubber/
For those wondering, IJW, stands for I Just Watched, a series of simple movie reviews based on the movies I've recently viewed. Oh, and Rubber is on Netflix instant for anyone willing to witness it's dark silliness.
-Photo poster from source link below.
